Back to School: The ABC's of Architecture

By Beth Herman

It’s regarded the same way inhabitants of a European village might revere their cathedral, according to Principal Chuck Swartz of Reader & Swartz Architects, P.C.

Located on a 40-acre Olmsted Brothers-created site, inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s University of Virginia and emblematic of history’s Progressive Education Movement (PEM) in its open form and structure, iconic John Handley High School had been eroded by time and convention. On the National Register of Historic Places since 1998, the Winchester, Virginia school’s legacy was also tied up in an anomalous decision by Washington’s Corcoran Gallery of Art: For the duration of WWII, $1 million dollars’ worth of paintings had been secretly squired to a vault in the school’s basement— its Whistlers, Rembrandts and Degas’ under 24-hour armed guard to shield them from the possibility of a District attack. Opened in 1923 and renovated in the ‘70s, Handley’s programmatic mission, mechanical and electrical systems, fire safety resources and handicapped accessibility were increasingly marked by obsolescence and changing education models. In the case of a school-wide communications system, there was none.

With VMDO Architects as architect of record, Reader & Swartz Architects, P.C. collaborated in a seven-year, three-phase expansion, renovation and restoration of the original 122,000 s.f. structure (310,000 s.f. with later additions) that would, among other things, increase the number of classrooms for approximately 1,190 students. Aspects of the original Walter McCornack design—having undergone late 1970s incursions such as dropped ceilings (that impeded sunlight) and “hermetically sealed” windows that flailed at the energy conservation practices of the day—would be restored and/or reimagined into multi-functioning, aesthetically pleasing spaces. And, working with standards set forth by the Secretary of the Interior, essential tax credits available in restoring landmark buildings would accrue. “The building was literally a sacred cow,” Swartz said.

Sounds like school spirit

Affirming the community’s feverish support for the school, which translated into a $5 million to $8 million dollar local fundraising effort spearheaded by Sen. H. Russell Potts, Jr. to help defray some of its $63.9 million cost, Swartz, a Handley alumnus himself, said the redesign task was monumental on so many levels.

“We wanted to be true to Winchester, true to the historical vision of the school, true to the philosophy and spirit of the school,” he explained. But the architects also wanted to integrate 21^st Century educational ideals into the redesign. “We wanted to keep Handley’s soul but make it better than it was,” Swartz added, explaining their intention to make each space more than just a room, a passageway or a wall, but rather a teaching tool in itself—actually in the original style of the PEM.

According to VMDO Architects Principal Bob Moje, “Handley High School was a restoration but it wasn’t just putting it back the way it was. We rethought the whole educational process from top to bottom, reorganized where everything was in the school, and saw what the building’s existing assets were—what we could use and what we could reinterpret.”

Believing the school may be the only public high school of its kind to maintain extensive archives, of which the architects readily availed themselves, Swartz drew a parallel between early Handley/PEM design principles where students had access to natural light and the outdoors itself, and today’s education mandates for the same. Though a massive “nature study court” created in the original plans, conceived of as a greenhouse for observational purposes, was never realized in that its glass roof for some reason was never applied, the 1970s saw the application of a solid roof, but the empty court assumed no purpose, Swartz said. During the current renovation, the team exchanged the conventional roof not for glass but fiberglass, allowing light into the space below and turning it into a second cafeteria/cafe for socializing and meal options. Located just outside the school theatre (the largest in the city, according to Swartz), the space can also be utilized for special events like proms or après-theatre events. Busts of Founding Fathers and other historical elements lend a kind of dignity and education value to it.

In the next phase, a two-story trussed space—used as a gym in its original design—had received another floor during the ‘70s and had become levels of windowless classrooms. In the current renovation, part of the second floor was removed and a staircase was added to knit both levels together (access was previously gained through fire stairs), with the result a two-story gym and two-story state-of-the-art media center, where historical trusses were exposed and retained.

Of Picassos and partnerships

Originally created as a school for grades k-12, an arcade at one end of the building was designed to gild a kindergarten where children could go outdoors and play. For more than 80 years, it was never used in that or any way whatsoever, so the team closed off adjacent doors and created a brand new entrance into the school by using the entire arcade as a front portico.

The school’s main hallway had a previous, informal moniker where it was known simply as the wooden hallway. In the original Post WWI drawings, it was called the Gallery of Art and History: its intent to be filled with art or objects to provide students with a learning opportunity. Presently known as the James R. Wilkins Gallery (named for its current benefactor), or also as the school’s very own Corcoran Gallery, the space is now an arena—or teaching tool— of high quality art reproduced from Corcoran negatives, courtesy of a donor-sponsored partnership between Reader & Swartz, Water Street Design (graphics) and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. “Before we worked on it, it had some paintings of principals and random displays, but now it’s been elevated to gallery status,” Swartz said.

On the exterior, in addition to reconfiguring the arcade into the new main entrance, a balustrade across the top was rotting and had to be repaired and restored; cupolas and roofs needed repair and bricks repointing. Waterproofing was a huge component in the redesign, as among other things an esplanade had experienced structural problems over the years and was leaking substantially.

In the back of the building, a second floor was inserted and braced with steel, as the school had been built prior to lateral force requirements. “On the one hand you’re fixing caulk and rotten wood on windows and balustrades, and a leaky esplanade, but on the other you’re adding like a city block of modern classrooms that sit behind a parapet, making sure they aren’t seen from public areas so they are really quiet (and don’t intrude on the building’s historical integrity),” Swartz said. “It’s basically a new school inside an historic shell with as much history retained as possible.” The building was also reorganized to feature math and science classrooms on one side, with art and literature on the other, much like the left brain/right brain landscape of the human brain. Phase III of the redesign addressed the 1962 additions in the back, which were repaired and updated, though historic elements were not at issue.

“Architects make as many mistakes by doing too much as in not doing enough,” VMDO’s Moje said, “and this is a very interesting project in that regard. In some ways, it may be our best work but you cannot see a lot of it. It’s an amazing piece of sleight of hand to expand the school, but the front appearance has not changed at all,” he said, referencing the second floor that was stepped back considerably.

All in the family–and community

Citing choreography concerns in restoring and renovating a project of this magnitude, Swartz said the high school had to remain operational during construction, which took four years. “You had to meet all the education standards, help get kids into college—all those things while you’re tearing a building apart and putting it back together,” he said, adding the job was so extensive the first $30 million was just to tear things out and put in new systems—within the same walls.

“I went there, my mother went there and later worked there, my brother currently teaches there and my daughter goes there,” Swartz said of a project that resonated as much for him personally as it did professionally. “Clearly John Handley High School is an amazing edifice in this town.”

Said Moje, whose firm has designed many hundreds of educational environments in the past 35 years, “Probably the vast majority of articles you read in the news media are negative about public education. The fundraising efforts of the high school and its graduates show there is still an awful lot of good about it, and this building is representative in a lot of ways.”

Douglas Apartment on 14th Street, Financed and Waiting for Permit

With construction financing secured a little less than a month ago, Douglas' 6-story, 30-unit apartment at 2221 14th Street, NW, is moving forward, having awarded the general contractor position to Donohoe Construction last week.

As reported in June, the project was expected to be underway around this time, however, a building and raze permit for the site (applied for in May and in August, respectively) are still pending.

Designed by Sacha Rosen of R2L: Architects, the building is a contemporary assortment of glass, metal, brick and terra cotta panels with sharply angled bay windows fronting 14th Street and Florida Ave. Not going condo - as several projects on 14th Street are - the building is designated as apartments with ground-floor retail space and 10 below-grade parking spaces.

Demolition of the defunct auto shop on site will take place before construction can begin. A large mural will cover the exterior wall of brick (the building's backside) that will rise over the adjacent 3-story building to the south - a requirement put in place by the Board of Zoning Adjustment.

Douglas had previously worked on bringing a 10,000-s.f. retail structure, designed by George Myers of GTM Architects, to the site.

Amendment: Permit application filing dates were transposed; raze permit was applied for in August, and building permit in May

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Your Next Place: Solar Decathlon Edition

By Franklin Schneider

The future is not often pretty. Take, for example, old age, a concept best exemplified for me by the memory of my father drunkenly dancing the “Soulja Boy” at a recent wedding, while wearing one of those tattoo-sleeve t-shirts and an Ed Hardy trucker cap cocked to the side. (When I gently suggested take a song or two off, he told me to “chillax.”) So last week's U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon was a pleasant surprise, presenting as it did a rosy, hopeful picture of the future of home design.

The contest pitted 20 teams of (very eager) college students against each other to see who could build the most energy- and cost-efficient house. While some teams (Purdue, Virginia) went for the familiar, most of the entries were strikingly modern. I wholeheartedly applaud this: I was promised hoverboards and jetpacks as a child, and here I am twenty years later, still watching VHS tapes. Clearly, the future needs to get here faster.




A special emphasis was placed on quick assembly and easy alteration. A team from Belgium designed a house out of wood and glass panels that you can arrange and rearrange according to your tastes and needs, sort of like big Legos. It was rather spartan to look at, but on the other hand, if that southern exposure you thought was such a great idea is turning your house into a blazing inferno in the summer, you could just move the windows to another wall for the hottest months. Think about the practical applications. (I once shared an apartment with a girlfriend that overlooked a roof deck popular with female sunbathers. I was unemployed at the time. One night my girlfriend stopped next to the big chair in the living room, looked at the hardwood floor, and then at the window, and asked, “Why are there all these drag marks between the chair and the window?” The subsequent breakup could've been avoided had I been able to move the goddamn window instead of the chair.)




The New Jersey entry was similarly modular. Made entirely of concrete (insert New Jersey joke here), it's made so that you can quickly assemble various concrete panels and slabs into any size or type of house you need. All the electrical systems are in a central core, which you build the house around, so the possibilities are endless. This house had a band of windows where the wall met the roof, so it looked like the roof was floating; very cool. And the concrete didn't look prisonlike or crude so much as appealingly spartan and modern. This might've been my favorite house.

Another highlight was the Caltech entry, an asymmetrical pod covered in quilted vinyl insulation, making it look vaguely like a Japanese sex toy. (Apparently exterior insulation is more efficient.) Inside, the living areas were separated onto vertical levels, lowest to highest, rather than with walls. I loved this, if only because I'd never seen anything remotely like it before.




UMD won the top architecture prize, which is sort of ironic considering that downtown College Park has all the aesthetic appeal of a mall food court from the mid-Seventies. But their house really was pretty sweet, a house built around a mini-wetland that recycled water through a garden on the roof. It's also the only house to make the bathroom the central area (most built around the kitchen) – it made me wish I'd brought a newspaper.



The main thing that struck me about the Decathlon was how nice the houses were. Not just the materials, but the way they utilized space. These were smallish “green” houses, and like a lot of people, I guess I went in assuming that less would be, well, less. But no, less is actually more. It really made me reconsider a lot of the things about houses that we take for granted as “the right way” - big rectangular spaces with holes in the wall to let sunlight in – but are perhaps done out of laziness or because “they've always been done like that.” (The worst reason to do anything, I'm convinced.) It's like when I moved into my first apartment, I just pushed all the furniture up against the walls to make a big open space in the middle of every room. It just seemed like the obvious sensible thing to do. It wasn't until a few years later, when a woman I was dating came into my apartment for the first time, looked around, and said, “What's wrong with your brain? Go stand over there,” and then dragged all my stuff into a far less crackhouse-ish arrangement, that I realized that the obvious, “sensible,” way doesn't necessarily equal livability or quality of life. You may roll your eyes at feng shui (you racist) but isn't it just a fancy name for getting people to stop pushing their sofa up against the wall and calling it a day? And while saving the planet is obviously more important than improving the “vibes” of your sunroom, there's a parallel there with the green retrofitting that some people are calling the “Third Industrial Revolution” (never mind that I missed the second – was it the nuclear bomb? Computers? Elastic-waisted pants?). Point is, it would be a terrible missed opportunity if we just stuck solar panels on top of our doublewides and McMansions, patted ourselves on our backs, and stumbled tackily into a zero-emissions future. This is our chance to reinvent the wheel! Let's not blow it. I'm so tired of this wheel.


All photos by Jim Tetro/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

Southwest Waterfront's Wharf Waved Forward by NCPC

Yesterday, the National Capital Planning Commission waved forward the First Stage PUD of PN Hoffman and Madison Marquette's $2-billion development of the Southwest waterfront known as "The Wharf". The vote to "comment favorably" was raised before Matthew Steenhoek, development manager for PN Hoffman, even had the chance to make a final remark. NCPC commission members noted that the PUD honors NCPC's request from November 2010 to "strengthen the physical and visual connections to the Banneker Overlook." Subsequently, Market Square (below Banneker) was expanded, and the opening between two residential towers at the end of 10th Street was widened. 

A pedestrian connection from Banneker Overlook to Maine Avenue was also added into the plan, which will be included in phase two of development. The Zoning Commission reviewed the First Stage PUD and related map amendment in mid-September, and may take final action this month, after which the development team can submit the Second Stage PUD, which will detail design and architecture specifics, whereas the First Stage deals with building massing, land uses, open space development, waterfront development/improvement and related map amendment. Hoffman-Madison hopes to submit the Second Stage early next year, in order to begin construction on the first phase (of three) in the first quarter of 2013. Of the 3.2 million s.f. to be developed on land abutting the northeastern shore of the Washington Channel, the first phase of construction will be on the middle four parcels ( 2 through 5) which constitutes 40 percent of the entire development. Parcel 3 will be the location of Carr Hospitality and InterContinental Hotels Group's four-star, 268-room hotel. And, according to Steenhoek, the JBG Companies will operate two hotels - a limited service and an extended stay - at parcel 5. Parcel 2 will be two residential towers above a 4,000-seat multi-purpose theater. 

All of the buildings include ground floor retail. A significant aspect of the entire development is the creation of Wharf street, a main avenue along the waterfront for cafes, cars, pedestrians, pier access, bikes and even streetcars. The Wharf will be a privately owned street and will overtake the existing Water Street, the closure of which was approved by the Council in April, and currently awaits approval by Congress. 

Washington D.C. retail and commercial real estate news

Your Next Place

By Franklin Schneider

Ohhhh man. This Robertson/Lakritz Adler townhouse-style condo isn't just dramatic and bleeding-edge luxurious – it's also green. That's right, this place gets 80% of its power from solar panels, making it one of the very few things in life that's both sexy and virtuous. Jump on this now, because this is the future, and trust me, you never want to be the last one to make the transition. Before you know it, if you mention in mixed company that you still heat your home with natural gas, people are going to look at you like you're blowing cigarette smoke onto their newborn baby.

But this is not a Prius of condos – more like a Bentley. The epic living room has a 20-foot-plus vaulted ceiling and massive floor-to-ceiling windows, and there are two (!) floating staircases leading to the upper two levels. (Yes, the unit has three levels.) The upper levels feature three spacious bedrooms, and a splendid roof terrace. Some roof areas are just folding chairs on a tarred roof that you have to awkwardly climb out onto, but this terrace was an extension of the apartment that just happened to not have a roof over it, as thoughtfully laid out and furnished as any other room, and shielded from the wind.

And yeah, the solar panels. The agent told me that the present occupant saved at least 200 dollars a month this summer, compared to pre-solar panels. (Tip: there are tax incentives in the District that will reimburse you for half the cost of the panels. Do it!). So you could be living in this huge place and yet pay less in utilities than someone living in an efficiency. And look at it this way, if all the wackos are right, and the world really is ending in 2012, you'll have a huge edge in the postapocalyptic new world, what with your off-the-grid self-sustaining energy source. I'll agree right now to trade you three cans of beans and my firstborn for a ten-minute hot shower.

1937 12th St. NW #2
3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths
$1,369,000

New Tryst/Diner Project in Columbia Heights to Begin Construction Next Week

Constantine Stavropoulos says that he will begin full construction on his New Tryst/Diner Project in Columbia Heights next week, with all building permits now in hand. Located at Monroe and 11th Street, NW, along an eclectic strip of restaurants, the 7,000-s.f. diner/bar/coffee shop will eventually stand out as "a third place," according to Stavropoulos, but has become most notable to date for the prolonged petitioning of its existence by several neighbors. In February, in response to an outcry over the possible influx of boozy patrons to the site, Stavropoulos said, "My restaurants attract students, construction workers, freelancers...people are going to and from work all the time. We're not in an era of 9 to 5 anymore." 

While some have found reasons to protest the size, liquor licensing, and proposed 24/7 operation, others remain in support of these same things, hoping neighborhood vitality follows suit. Nestled within Madison Development's 4-floor, 28-unit condominium on open-house display tonight, the interior of the varied-offering concept is designed by Stavropoulos and his father George Stavropoulos, the architect behind Stavropoulos Associates. New to the Columbia Heights area, Stravropoulos' previous D.C. ventures have been in Adams Morgan (Tryst, Diner) and Woodley Park (Open City). Stavropoulos purchased the ground floor of 1020 Monroe Street from Madison early this year for $1.9 million. Madison bought the entire 1920s-era building in 2010 for $3.2 million. Originally hoping to be opening up for business around this time - to coincide with the completion of the building's condos - Stavropoulos is now aiming for early 2012. Stavropoulos also confirmed, "The working name is The New Tryst/Diner Project." There is no official name yet; the oft-referred-to " Margot's Chair" is only the name of the holding company, and there's still a chance that it could become "The Fishbowl." 

  Update 11/30: According to Stavropoulos, his father is not involved with the interior - like he was for Tryst, The Diner and Open City - but will be responsible for the restaurant's facade. The design of the interior is under the control of lead architect Michael Cross, of R. Michael Cross Design Group, and is being executed by Allen-Built Construction. "The Fishbowl" is not a name contender for the new concept, which is currently referred to as "The New Tryst/Diner Project," while the right name remains to be found. 

Washington D.C. retail and commercial real estate news

Disabled Veterans Memorial's Struggle Near its End

A 2.4-acre site next to the U.S. Capitol, home of the future American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, is about to see extensive prep work in advance of what its backers hope is an imminent start of construction. Located across from the U.S. Botanical Garden at 2nd and C Streets, SW, the site was selected due to its prime location just off the Mall and within view of Congress, but it's caused some headaches.

Conceptualized in 1997, the Memorial's Foundation, a non-profit formalized in 1998, first set out to raise $85 million in private funds through its Capital Campaign. Thirteen years later, and with approximately $10 million coming from over a million disabled veterans through the Disabled American Veterans association, the Foundation is only $250K shy of its goal.

Congress approved the memorial in 2000, and Michael Vergason Landscape Architects' creation "Fire in the Grove" won the Foundation's design competition to solicit architects, in 2001; architects Michael Vergason and Doug Hays then set about to hone the design. After 9/11, however, the section of C Street running through the memorial's site was seen as a dangerous truck-bomb route to the Rayburn building, and the design was reconfigured accordingly, and first presented to the necessary commissions in 2006.

In 2009, the Commission of Fine Arts approved the design, followed by the National Capital Planning Commission in 2010, and construction documents were given the final stamp of approval these past few months. Earlier this year, in April, a general contractor, Tompkins Builders Inc. - who rebuilt the Reflecting Pool and built the WWII Memorial - was selected, followed by a May announcement that sculptor Larry Kirkland had been commissioned to create four bronze pieces.

The Foundation expected to move on construction this summer, but, as project executive Barry Owenby explained in early August, there was a delay in obtaining construction permits from the National Park Service due to continued site-specific difficulties: five utility companies have facilities on and/or through the site that would have to be relocated. Furthermore, the project required additional federal funds in order to manage the necessary street closures and infrastructure improvements that accompanied the utilities relocation.

Yet, finally, the Memorial Foundation reports that "significant offsite work" has begun, including the purchase and fabrication of materials for the Memorial, including fountain pumps and piping, stainless steel, metals, electrical equipment, and granite (a significant chunk of costs): Bethel White for the Wall of Gratitude, Virginia Mist for the plaza paving, and St. John’s Black for the fountain and reflecting pool.

Architect Hays explained that, while the original idea was to use marble, the NPS requested a more durable material be used, and granite was selected.

"It's a unique design," said Hays.
"Sometimes [a design] can become watered down [through the approval process], but that's not the case here. I think it's actually become better."

Three glass walls will be made of "48 laminated, 5-ply panels of Starphire glass, with inscriptions and images embedded in the interior panes." This is the same glass used in the Apache helicopter and B-2 bomber.

A flame will flicker in the center of a star-shaped fountain at the heart of Memorial, and a grove of trees will surround the site, which will also offer a parking lot for the disabled.

Hays, responsible for overseeing the ongoing process of design and document approvals over the past five years, added that, "The design is to say thank you [to disabled vets], to educate the general public, and to serve as a reminder to Congress what the cost of war is." He noted that, although Michael Vergason Landscape Architects is the firm responsible for the memorial's design, Shalom Baranes became the architect of record last year.

The first (fully funded) phase of construction will be the rerouting of communication lines to and from the Capitol, and the second phase will include the realignment of C Street and relocation of utilities, after which construction of the actual memorial can begin. Although Owenby said in August "we are doing everything possible to shorten the Memorial’s construction time," the VFW reported recently that completion is likely to be in November of 2013.

The Memorial Foundation's co-founder, Lois Pope, a philanthropist and former actress/singer on Broadway, was inspired to create a memorial for disabled veterans after singing for Vietnam War vets in the '60s. Actor Gary Sinise, notable for his role as Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump, is the Memorial's official spokesman.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Historic Dupont Mansion to be Sold at Auction

A historic, 128-year-old mansion, home of the Swann House Bed & Breakfast, located north of Dupont Circle at 1808 New Hampshire Ave, NW, and built in 1883, will be sold at auction next Friday.

The 3-story dwelling dangles crystal chandeliers, and is pocketed with 9 carved fireplaces, offering 12.5 bathrooms, and 12 guest rooms dressed-up in varied themed decor like the "Zen-inspired" "Shanghai'daway" in a dim section of the bottom floor, and the "Nantucket" room in breezy blue shades with seahorse-stamped wallpaper on the well-lit top floor.

The 5,405-s.f. lot, with 7,538-s.f. home - zoned for commercial use - was purchased in 2003 for $329,000, but the 2011 tax assessment pegs the value at $2.19 million; with property taxes over $36,000 this year. The property will be auctioned off by Tranzon Fox at the office of Ober | Kaler on H Street, NW.

Update 10/12: Per Tranzon Fox, the auction has been cancelled due to a bankruptcy filing.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Corner of 7th and H Street to Become Less Noticeable

McCaffery and Douglas' joint development project at the corner of 7th and H Streets, NW - the heart of Chinatown - went before the Historic Preservation Review Board last week, with the Board approving the concept with a contingency - "that the one-story addition on 7th Street is pulled back sufficient to ensure that it won’t be visible from the street."

Disheartened will be those readers who felt that the building's design by Sacha Rosen of R2L: Architects - much smaller than a former one for the site - wasn't noticeable enough.

Washington D.C. real estate development news